“An investigation is under way and until it is completed we are unable to comment further.”

The City of Edinburgh Council said they would also be investigating the incident.

Councillor Lesley Macinnes, the transport convener, said: “This is dreadfully sad news and I’d like to offer my deepest condolences to the gentleman’s family and friends. We are working closely with Police Scotland to investigate what happened.”

Last July, a Malaysian medical student died after her bike wheel got stuck in tram tracks on Princes Street.

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Zhi Min Soh, 23, an Edinburgh University student originally from Kuala Lumpur, was hit by a minibus after falling from the bike.

Her death sparked a number of protests and a leading surgeon revealed his team had treated 220 cyclists with tram-related injuries – at the time the equivalent of one every five days – since 2015.

Professor Chris Oliver, of Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, said segregating cyclists from other traffic in the capital was the best way to keep them safe.

He told the Edinburgh Festival of Cycling: “The council won’t thank me for saying this but they need to segregate the dangerous hotspots – it needs to be done urgently. It’s radical, but things like putting tram lines underground.”